General
Government abandons bulk of industrial relations package in effort to save definition of casual work

The federal government has been forced to abandon the bulk of a controversial industrial relations bill, failing to negotiate it through the Senate.
Key points:
- Only one measure in the government’s suite of reforms has passed successfully
- The government has been locked in negotiations with the Senate crossbench
- Senator Michaelia Cash says the government agreed to make changes to get the most critical part of the bill through
The only measure in the wide-ranging bill successfully passed was to legally define casual work, in an effort to avoid leaving businesses liable for potentially billions of dollars in back-pay.
Employers will also be compelled to offer casual employees either permanent part-time or full-time work after 12 months of…
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